WASHINGTON – Sen. Cory Booker is heading into the campaign season with an enormous cash advantage over his Republican challenger, Jeff Bell.

The New Jersey Democrat, serving the remainder of the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s term, had nearly $3.5 million at the end of June, according to his July 15 Federal Election Commission report. Booker carried over a debt of more than $108,000 from a previous quarter.

Bell, a public affairs consultant, raised more than $72,000 and loaned the campaign $35,000 last quarter, but he had no cash on hand and $46,000 in debt.

New Jersey House incumbents all had significant cash advantages over their opponents at the end of June.

The state has three open congressional races, including one for the First District seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews, who resigned in February. In that race, state Sen. Donald Norcross, a Camden Democrat, was ahead in the money race at the end of the last quarter, with $607,215 on hand compared to $13,551 for former Philadelphia Eagle Gary Cobb, a Republican.

A special election will be held Nov. 4, the day of the general election, for the remainder of Andrews’ term, which ends in January 2015.

Republican Thomas MacArthur, a candidate for retiring Republican Rep. Jon Runyan’s seat in the Third District, has loaned his campaign $3 million, including $1 million last quarter. The former insurance executive had more than $1 million at the end of June, compared to $615,996 for his Democratic opponent Aimee Belgard, a Burlington County freeholder.

The money race was tighter in the race for retiring Democratic Rep. Rush Holt’s seat in the 12th District. Republican Alieta Eck, a physician, had $87,423 while Democratic state Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman had $65,889. However, Eck had $1,600 in debt while Coleman had $32,000.

Child abduction bill passes Senate

The Senate passed legislation by voice vote on Wednesday inspired by New Jersey resident David Goldman’s five-year battle to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil.

The “Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act,” designed to bolster the government’s ability to help parents rescue abducted children taken overseas, now goes to the House for approval.

“As a parent, I cannot imagine the emotional toll of having a child abducted and taken abroad and feeling helpless to get your son or daughter back,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who introduced the bill with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. “I encourage my colleagues in the House to act swiftly to protect our children.”

A similar bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., unanimously passed the House in December.

Among the Senate bill’s provisions are requirements for annual State Department reports on international child abductions and for U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to monitor abduction and access cases and assist left-behind parents with resolving their cases. The Senate bill also would help train officials in other countries about abductions.

Booker carries on Lautenberg tradition with birth control bill

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is picking up the mantle of his predecessor, the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, by introducing legislation this week to protect women’s access to contraception.

The “Access to Birth Control Act,” introduced five times previously by Lautenberg, is designed to ensure that women with valid prescriptions are not denied or intimidated when requesting birth control or emergency contraception at pharmacies. Pharmacists in some states have refused to sell some contraceptives based on their personal beliefs.

“All women deserve the right to make their own private decisions concerning their health, and to do so free from discrimination or harassment,” Booker stated.

Booker said it’s time to “go on the offense to protect women’s reproductive rights” following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. That June 30 decision said the 2010 Affordable Care Act can’t require certain businesses with religious objections to provide free birth-control insurance coverage.

A Democratic bill supported by Booker and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., that would restore the contraceptive coverage requirement -- in a way that would pass constitutional muster -- failed to advance in a key Senate vote on Wednesday.

The Booker bill has 19 Democratic co-sponsors, including Menendez. It would require pharmacies to help a woman obtain her prescribed contraceptive. If the product is not in stock, a pharmacist would either have to order it, refer the women to another pharmacy or return the prescription -- whichever scenario the woman chooses.